The Broken Road
by Rose9797
Summary: It's no easy road to becoming Jim Kirk. *CHAPTER 5 IS UP 01/26/16* Risa Part 1 - Jim's friends are in dire need. How far will Jim go to help them and how much of himself is he ready to sacrifice? Sequel to 'The Massacre'. Set pre-STXI. No slash or pairings. ON HIATUS
1. Home Sweet Home - Part 1

**The Broken Road**

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 **A/N: This is the sequel to my 20 chapter story 'The Massacre'. Though I would love it if you read the story first, this is quite a standalone by itself. Some references will be cited, but it will be elaborated here so you don't have to read the prequel. Cover image of this story is referenced here and also in 'The Massacre.'  
**

 **This chapter is more of an epilogue to the prequel and prologue to the sequel.**

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 ** _Home Sweet Home – Part 1_**

 _Star date: 2248.200_

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The weather outside the window seemed to mirror exactly what Winona Kirk was feeling at the moment. She was pissed off and sympathetic all at once as she watched her son resting on the bio-bed, a pair of earphones resting on his ears as he listened to some dated music just to keep off from talking or listening to her.

Jim had been fuming ever since they had landed on Earth. The dreadful month in Tarsus had weakened Jim to such an extent that he couldn't hold a glass of water by himself. He had lost nearly twenty pounds and the litany of injuries seemed to delay his convalescence. Miracle of miracles was the fact that after one too many surgeries within ten days and a string of medications later, he had nothing pressing to worry about right now, except adding some meat to his bones. Of course, the surgeries rendered him unable to eat for a couple more weeks, and so Jim found himself at the delicate position of receiving nearly twenty different hypos at different times of the day, despite the IV and catheter inserted into him.

He was not pleased with his situation, further acerbated by Winona who had denied him from seeing his friends from the colony. She had explained patiently at first and then resolved to stern commands to douse his pleas that had fallen into deaf ears.

For two days now, he had refused to talk to her, preferring to listen to music or stare at the wall, occasionally glancing at her in annoyance. Winona, for her part, refused to stand down and get him to talk again. _Well,_ that's _something he got from me_ , she thought wryly.

She wondered how long Jim would be willing to stay quiet until he would pester her again or just quit and move on. If she knew her son well enough, (and she did) he was never letting this go as easy as that.

oOo

Later that day, Jim was transferred to a private room. He had been in the Intensive Care Unit for two days, to ensure Jim was progressing well and since the doctors were satisfied, they deemed it fit to move him somewhere private and without too many equipment. Jim was ecstatic to note that there was a holo-vid screen in the room. _Finally, a window to the outside world_ , he thought. Seeing only the pristine white walls of Medbays and hospitals for a fortnight had been enough to make him go crazy.

His mom left him alone in the room to talk with the nurse and Jim found himself commanding the holo-vid to switch on. He would be pleased to look at even a butterfly right now.

"Computer, turn on holo-vid, Channel 14."

The holo-vid started playing as the computer chirped "Command accepted."

After surfing through a couple of channels, each showing a soap opera and a reality show, he ended up on a news channel that had red all over the screen 'BREAKING NEWS: STARFLEET LOCATES CARNAGE OF TARSUS GENOCIDE.'

Jim turned up the volume as a pretty reporter spoke ' _The USS Newton and USS Endeavor, after searching the Earth colony for two days were able to locate the mass burial ground of around 4000 citizens of Tarsus IV who were unjustly assassinated by their Governor Kodos for reasons of insufficient food supply on Star date: 2248.152. A deadly fungus infected the Colony's crops and the Governor made the ultimate decision to exterminate half of its population in an effort to save the rest. While Starfleet claims they were unaware of the situation, there has been public outcry against Starfleet for not performing routine checks on the colony and for appointing dangerous "madmen" as their governors. Governor Kodos was however found killed in his own facility by the hands of a teenage boy whose identity is unknown. Eight children who were rescued from the colony after thirty days of hiding in the forests claimed they knew him only by the name of JT and had also been their primary reason for making it out alive after the grueling month. Lydia Henderson reports.'_

Another reporter standing in a Starbase was surrounded by four children and about ten Starfleet officers. _'Yes, thank you Jenna. I'm standing in Starbase-1 here and I have four of the rescued children with me. What's your name?'_ she asked to none other than Jim's best buddy, Tom Leighton who had a bandage around his eye.

Tom looked at the woman, face scrunched in sadness _'Tom Leighton' he said._ Jim felt a stab of sorrow seeing his friend looking so miserable.

The woman continued _'Tom, what happened to your eye?'_

 _'_ _One of the guards in Tarsus shot me when we were trying to escape from them. I was sure I would die but JT never left me. Even though he knew he could have run away to save himself, he stayed and that's why he was caught'_ Tom looked down, guilt washing his features.

 _'_ _Everyone tells that JT was the one who killed Kodos. And yet, you stand up for him. Aren't you afraid to associate yourself with a killer?'_

Tom visibly exploded _'Killer?! Kodos killed 4000 people and yet what JT did seems wrong to you?! He killed to protect us. He didn't have to do anything, and yet he chose to feed us and fight for us! Kodos doesn't even compare to JT's dust! I'd suggest you do your research before you jump to conclusions. JT doesn't deserve to have died with everyone branding him a killer. He gave his life for us, he's a hero, he deserves at least that much respect for what he did.'_ Tom had angry tears in his eyes as he stared down the reporter and Jim felt a rush of affection for him.

The reporter turned back to the camera _'That was Tom Leighton, survivor and member of the Tarsus 8, JT's group of followers who came out alive from the massacre. Back to you Jenna.'_

Jim stared dumbly at the holo-vid screen unable to comprehend anything but two very important facts – that he was considered dead ( _Holy shit!_ ) and that he was being called a killer, if not by everyone, at least by some. He didn't realize he was still staring at the screen, mouth agape when his mom sighed "I didn't want you to see that."

Jim just shook his head and spoke after a minute "They think I'm a killer?" though the question sounded like a statement.

Winona simply nodded "Now you understand why I asked Starfleet to keep your identity out of the loop."

"So, they think I'm dead?" he asked in a small voice.

Winona walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, caressing his cheek. "I'm sorry Jim. I know how much you care for your friends. But if word gets out, it _won't_ be simple to live a normal life."

Jim looked away from his mother. He understood what his mom meant by that. Before Tarsus, when he was on Earth, the teachers at school were always comparing him to his dad. Even if he scored way above other kids, they seemed to think it was because he was George Kirk's son and not because of his own volition. Tarsus had been bearable for the only reason that he had taken his uncle's name instead of his dad's. If he had called himself a Kirk, he wondered how his life would have turned out to be. He shivered. Maybe what his mom had done was good for him after all.

Jim leaned into his mother's hand "I'm sorry I was angry at you. I didn't know" he said simply.

Winona smiled before patting him gently on his cheek "That's my boy. Now, I have a surprise for you."

Jim visibly brightened, his earlier thoughts forgotten "A surprise?"

"Look who's here" Winona said as the door opened to reveal a tall, blonde looking very much like his brother.

"Sam?" Jim asked incredulously.

"How ya doing, Jimbo?" Sam bounded in, giving a quick peck on his mother's cheek before coming to sit next to him. Winona was smiling from ear-to-ear.

Jim was astounded. It had been nearly two and a half years since he had seen hide or hair of his brother.

"Wha- When? How?" was all Jim seemed to be capable of.

Sam chuckled patting him on the shoulder "I'm great, thanks for asking!"

Jim laughed. This was going to be a fun day after all, despite him being stuck on a bio-bed.

oOo

As it turned out, Sam had gotten in touch with his mom, almost a month ago. He had come to know of her divorce with Frank and had been more than happy to get back in touch with her after their brief couple of years in argument. He was doing well in college in Australia. After Winona and Jim had extruded all the juicy bits of Sam's life, Sam proceeded to ask Jim about Tarsus.

Though Jim's mood turned dour, he found it easy to unload on his brother. After about an hour, Sam was livid. He had cursed Kodos, Starfleet and the Universe in general and then finally quieted down. Jim couldn't help but agree that Sam's outburst had been somewhat cathartic, to him at least.

He was here with his mom and brother, when not a month ago, he was convinced he wouldn't hear their voice again, let alone see them. He couldn't have been more grateful.

oOo

The days went by in a pleasant haze, with Jim getting back his strength and out of all the tubes and wires connected to him. After a month in the hospital in Des Moines, he was discharged and the Kirks got to their home in Riverside. It was exactly as they had left, none of them having visited since Jim left for Tarsus. The three devoted an entire week in getting their home habitable again. Sam had opted to do his sixth semester as a distance program so he could continue to stay with his family. Things couldn't have been better as the days slowly edged to one memorable day.

oOo

 _Star date: 2249.04_

Jim woke up to the sound of movement in the house. He yawned widely and fumbled for the digital clock on his bedside. 0815 hours.

Having no commitment yet to school or college, he was in no hurry to wake up. He slowly got up and went to the bathroom, taking his own sweet time to shower and change.

Jim went to the dining and saw his mom busy in the kitchen. Judging by the number of bowls and trays outside, she was busy baking something. Sam was talking to someone over his comm when Jim went up to their front door and opened it to the chilly air outside. Their front porch was buried in several feet of snow. Jim stood at the door and took stock of the scenery outside. After the cold air had awakened him better than the warm shower, Jim went back inside.

Sam was sitting on the dining table, eating a bowl of cereal and fruit. Jim joined him when he said through a mouthful of cereal "Happy birthday Jimbo!"

Jim mildly wondered how he had forgotten it despite remembering his own birthday yesterday. His mom came out of the kitchen, apron dusted with flour and a happy smile on her face "Happy birthday kiddo!"

"Thanks" he said smiling as his mom put a plate of what seemed to be madeleines in front of him.

Sam looked at it wondrously "Since when did you know to make madeleines?"

"Oh just a recipe that the nurse in Des Moines gave to me" she said as she removed the apron to join them. Jim and Sam dug into the warm, soft madeleines, humming in delight.

"Oh, this is so good!" Jim said as he grabbed another.

Sam too agreed "If only you could cook as well as you bake…"

Winona huffed and mock-sighed, shaking her head as she gave an exasperated look "My own boys."

Sam laughed "It's the truth! You're a terrible cook! Jim is better and that's saying something!"

Jim laughed. He had been learning to cook basic stuff like mac and cheese, steaks, chowders and soups, courtesy of Sam who had learned it all from his ex-girlfriend. Sitting around at home doing nothing had gotten him bored and he had found it therapeutic to have control over so much food.

"I'm way better than mom!" Jim argued.

"That's enough boys or you're going to be doing all the chores today" Winona said sternly effectively shutting their mouths.

oOo

Later that night, Jim found himself alone at home, watching a holo-vid on their couch and munching on pop-corn. His mom and Sam had planned to visit the local bar for an hour, since his mom's friends always visited her on this day. It was the day she had been widowed after all. Though she had invited Jim, she hadn't really expected Jim to tag along. Firstly, he was a minor, and most importantly, he had never been able to tolerate the weird glances and stilted talks that were sent his way.

At around 2200 Sam and his mom entered to find Jim half-dozing on the couch. Sam went straight to bed having already eaten dinner. Winona gently woke Jim and asked him to stay awake until she could prepare something for him to eat. Jim sat on the stool by the kitchen counter, one hand propping up his face from crashing onto the table.

She kept asking him what he would like in his bucatini and also for pointers from him on what to add, what not to add. Jim liked his bucatini with wild rocket, anchovies and tuna. She was no fan of anchovies but all the Kirk boys were apparently.

After fifteen minutes, dinner was ready and she set it down for Jim. She kept up a steady talk with Jim as he ate, asking what his plans were for his studies and what college he was planning to apply to.

Jim meandered through the dull chore of eating, despite his favorite dish in front of him. When Jim was almost done, Winona decided to spring him.

"I have a present for you."

"Didn't you already give me one earlier? That new PADD I wanted?"

Winona smiled "Yes. This isn't much a present since it actually belongs to you. I just thought you should have it."

Jim shot her a quizzical look and she put her hand inside her jeans' pocket to retrieve a thin silver chain with a rectangular pendant. She handed it to him and Jim looked at her, mouth slightly agape.

It was the pendant that he had gifted himself to Ashley on her sixteenth birthday.

He couldn't believe _he_ was the one getting the same thing _himself_ for _his_ sixteenth birthday.

But how was that possible? How did his mom get it? Last he knew Ashley had been wearing it, even when they had been living as survivors in that small cave.

"But…how?" Jim asked startled.

"It was in your pocket when they found you. The nurses gave it to me when I arrived aboard the Newton" Winona explained.

"But, how was it in my pocket?"

Winona looked confused "Isn't it yours? I thought she gave it to you."

 _She._ Ashley. "No, _I_ gave it to her as _her_ birthday gift" Jim said looking perplexed.

Winona's eyes widened. But she couldn't understand how it was in Jim's pocket either.

Jim thought back to his final moment with Ashley. How she had embraced him and laid a gentle kiss on his neck, the only part she could reach what with him hanging from the wall a feet above. She had said that she loved him and he felt a pang of sorrow and affection. He never got to say that to her back then. He never would.

He tried to recollect the feel of her touch, how her small hands had roamed over his back and come to rest on his upper thighs.

 _Oh!_ He remembered her pressing against his thigh, but he hadn't felt her dropping anything into his pocket then. But that must be it.

Jim looked up at his mother who was looking at him closely, watching him come to the realization.

"She gave it to me. Just before she was killed" Jim spoke, a tremble in his voice as the image of Kodos slitting her throat glided into view in his head.

Winona took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him, unable to comfort him with words. Jim laid his head on her shoulder as his eyes grew wet with his memories with her. There was nothing to remember her by and it almost felt like whatever they had had, never happened.

A small part of his brain protested. No, he did have something. He had the best thing to remember her by after all. The retractable memory drive in the pendant had sixteen wonderful visual proofs that Ashley did exist and would always in his heart.

 **End of Part 1...**

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 **A/N: I'd love to compare Winona to my mom, since I can** ** _only_** **compare to my mom seeing as there's only one example to follow XD. She's very aloof and somewhat emotionless when dealing with emotions, not smiling for silly jokes, though sometimes me and my two sisters can crack her up and she laughs till her stomach hurts. She's not one with words, she's always showing her affection through actions. She doesn't go around hugging us (though she does kiss me and my little sister very often) or saying 'I love you' all through the day. In fact I've never heard her say that explicitly, but she more than makes up for it through how much she respects us and the way she treats us. I can't imagine Winona being all gooey and mother-henning her boys. Since, Jim is in trauma she's making those little concessions, but otherwise, I tend to think she was a stern, no-nonsense mom.**

Reviews are love and make me update sooner. Thanks to Samantha Kirk and Katiikiinz for their lovely PMs. Part 2 will be out soon (sooner if I get more than three reviews) ;)


	2. Home Sweet Home - Part 2

**_Home Sweet Home – Part 2_**

 _Star date: 2249.11_

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The snow was beginning to thaw by mid-January and Jim found himself spending his time poring over different colleges. He was regaining some of his weight and his daily hypos had been reduced to five per day, for which he was entirely grateful. Sam was spending his last semester of college in Riverside by taking up the Distance Learning option in his college. Jim really appreciated what Sam was doing for him. It would have been a difficult decision, since he would not be able to meet with his friends for their last semester.

His mom had already informed him of the temporary leave that she had been granted and also how it would come to a close by the end of January.

Jim had become very angry on hearing that.

 _"_ _So, that's it? You're just gonna leave again? What about me?"_

 _Winona tried to explain patiently "Sam will be here for another two months. You have to start applying for any colleges. Hopefully, if you get your admission within then, it'll all work out."_

 _"_ _You just want to – " and then Jim broke into a fit of coughing, his anger abating as he worked himself into a bout of coughing. Jim had found that he couldn't strain his vocal cords for too long. There were still too tender from the surgery and he had to resort to speaking in whispers. And the cold he had caught a night ago, had unmercifully made him yield to hacking coughs that seared his throat._

 _Winona rushed to him with a glass of water. Jim's coughing fit calmed and he sat gasping for breath. Winona pulled him in to a one-armed squeeze "It's gonna be alright, kiddo."_

 _Jim had been too tired and emotionally spent that night and he had drifted off to sleep._

But Jim hadn't forgotten that incident.

He had refused to speak with his mom for four days now and was furiously applying for the top universities and colleges. He chose a handful from the top Terran universities and also applied for a couple more off-world. His mother had suggested him to join Starfleet Academy, but Jim had rightfully refused. He had developed an unhealthy sort of hatred towards the organization that had taken away his father forever and continually separating his mother from him almost annually. Winona had understood, but had finished with an ominous _"It's your choice, Jim. I know you and I know you can_ never _be happy if you aren't among the stars."_ Thus, his decision to also apply to off-world universities.

Though he hadn't actually passed his high school, he applied for the universities that could take in students with only their entrance exam scores. He was technically a final-year honorary student of OASS, (which if he had completed by now, he would've been recruited by top companies already. He couldn't believe that was never going to happen again) he wasn't going to state himself as a Tarsus survivor. The media would have a field day and he liked his peace and quiet, thank you very much.

After a whole day of watching boring holo-vids and resolute silence in front of his mother, Jim had gotten some good news.

Almost four of the colleges that he had applied, accepted the timing that he had specified in his application form for taking the entrance exam. All Jim had to do now was prepare.

oOo

Time seemed to fly as Jim found himself brushing up on all the topics that he had studied in OASS. He almost felt normal again, the studying was doing much good to his mood and he had managed one-word responses to his mother until now.

"Did you get any offer?" Winona asked quietly leaning against his door frame.

Jim, who was busy reading something on a PADD, didn't look up. He said, "I've got four colleges offering me a seat if I can pass their entrance exams within the week."

Winona spoke again and Jim could hear her smiling "I've got no doubt that all four of them would gladly take you in. You've got my brains after all."

Jim scoffed "Yeah and your stubbornness."

Winona entered and addressed the elephant in the room, "Jim, what do you expect me to do? Sit around home, knitting sweaters with a cat curling on my lap?"

Though Jim didn't so much as twitch, he mentally laughed at the image. Winona was never the typical mom. She wasn't homely or traditional. She was bold and brilliant and determined. She was made for a life of adventure. If Jim had to admit to himself, her knowledge had already been wasted for thirteen years with her choice of opting for short-term missions so she could take care of her boys. If she hadn't been a single mother she would definitely have made Captain by now.

At times like this, Jim hated his father for leaving her when she needed him the most. With no emotional support, she had been hardened to become self-reliant.

But, the part of Jim, that still tried to remember her singing to him softly during the evening light with his head resting on her lap when he was five, willed him to try and get her to stay. He would be more than willing to apply in their local college in Riverside. It would be a waste of his intelligence, he knew, but he had never had happy times with his mother in forever and the small boy in him longed for the opportunity.

"You could stay and take up a post in the shipyard. I can apply to Riverside Community College and we can stay here," Jim said finally looking up, trying to keep away any hint of pleading from his voice.

Winona laughed ruefully as she made to sit on his bed "Oh Jim, with brains like yours what mother would want to see it getting wasted in a Community College. You were born for great things, Jim. You're gonna achieve so much in your life. I can't be a hindrance to that."

Jim's face fell as he looked at his mother's eyes. "I just want you to stay with me. Don't you want that?"

Winona looked crestfallen and her eyes became glassy "Sometimes we have to sacrifice what we want for what we need. You need to get into a good college, Jim. You're sixteen and you were a student of OASS. A kid with your brains would be rubbing shoulders with professors on MIT and Oxford. You have to get your priorities right, Jim. You're not a kid anymore. There's gonna be a time, when you'll have your own family to take care of and you'll have to do everything you can to earn and stand on your own two feet to raise them. You can't simply throw away the opportunities that are coming your way now. You can't be sure it'll come to you again."

Jim wanted to hold her and shake her hard so she could just stop thinking about the future and let him live in the present. Instead he looked away from her and failed to notice the dejected and hurt look in Winona's face.

Winona got up and said "I'll get you supper in an hour or so" before leaving his room.

Jim stared at the closed door, his mind working a mile in a minute. He didn't want to send his mom off and wander around aimlessly in his home waiting to do the same for Sam in two months. He would rather leave right now, before he had to face the inevitable send-off that would come in a fortnight. And a small sadistic part of him wanted to inflict them with the same hurt that he would have had experienced if they had left. His mind made up and without a second thought in his mind, he started packing up.

oOo

Winona's mind was buzzing with thoughts about her youngest. Her heart went out to him. She could understand Jim's need to stay with her. She wanted to stay too, more than Jim could ever wish. But reality reared its ugly face and she knew she couldn't still keep him with her. He would regret the choice of staying to study in a Community College and would forever resent Winona for that. She would never let that happen. Trying to convince herself that her decision was right, Winona half-heartedly headed to the kitchen to cook something to eat. She planned to make something delicious, so that Jim could take his mind off things. Pulling out her e-cookbook in her PADD, she let her mind wander as she prepped the oven.

oOo

After half-an-hour of slaving in the kitchen and an hour reading Starfleet journals to pass the time when the chicken was getting cooked, Winona hollered for Sam and got some on a plate to take up to Jim's room.

"Jim, I've made your favorite," she said as she pushed the door open to find the room completely empty.

"Jim?" she called out, placing the plate on the side table and checking the bathroom which too was empty. She looked around the room again just in case, when she saw a small square piece of paper fluttering away from the opposite bedside table. She bent to pick it up, her heart thumping wildly as unpleasant thoughts filled her head.

She quickly read the paper and gasped, a sob escaping her lips. She glanced at the open window, curtains fluttering lazily in the night air. She rushed to the window and looked out in hopes of spotting her son walking down the road or something. Instead, the night was still and chilly, looking completely normal and nothing out of place. She ran out the door as fast as she could, yelling for her elder son.

"Sam! SAM!"

"Mom, what is it? Is Jim sick?" Sam questioned, half-rising from the chair.

"He's gone! Jim's gone!" she whimpered, clutching a hand to her mouth.

"What? That's impossible! He definitely didn't come down the stairs" Sam said reasonably.

"No, no, he went out through the window. Why's he doing this? _Why?_ " Winona implored him and Sam was lost for words.

He led Winona up again to Jim's room. He checked the wardrobe to find most of the clothes and his PADDs cleared out hastily.

"Should we inform the police? Did Jim leave anything?" Sam asked.

"Yes, we should inform them quickly. Let me put on my coat," she said hurriedly and paused to turn around. "He left this" she whispered looking at Sam with so much hurt in her eyes, Sam instantly felt quite guilty. He had done this same thing too long before and was guilty and afraid that maybe he had set a bad example for Jim. She quickly went out of the room.

Sam looked for a moment at his mother running out of the door and turned to read the small paper in his hands.

 _Mom,_

 _I know you're worried. Please don't be. I wanted you to stay for me but I understand it's impossible. I didn't want to face the day when I had to send you off to space and do the same for Sam a couple of months later. I know it's not brave of me but I don't think I can handle that. It's better if I learn to stay alone and handle your absence. I want some time away from you. I don't want to be your burden. I'm gonna be a Kirk from now on and I'm gonna do it on my terms._

 _Tell Sam I love him._

 _I'll try to contact you when I get my admission. Don't be so worried. I'll be safe._

 _Jim._

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 **A/N: A short chapter, but things get better from the next chapter. We won't be seeing much of Winona and Sam from now on. It'll all be about Jim and the various other people he's gonna meet.**

 **I'm so glad of all the favorites, follows and special thanks to macywinstar for your review. Yes, I totally agree, girl.**

 **Please review and you can give me suggestions of what you want to see next. God knows, I've been winging this story from the start XD**


	3. Alpha Centauri - Part 1

**_Two years later…_**

* * *

 ** _Alpha Centauri – Part 1_**

 _Star date: 2251.121_

* * *

"Party at 9, guys!" Ian hollered to resounding cheers from the group. The gang of friends dispersed after a few farewells to retire for the night.

"What's Professor Belin setting us up for tomorrow?" Ian asked aloud to the group of four heading in the same direction to their rooms.

"The functioning of a warp core. I swear he's screwing with us. There's no way we can study all that in a day!" Rika said, frustrated.

"Which is why I don't think I'm gonna head to town tonight," Ted said to loud groans of protest.

"You need to loosen up Ted. Any more studying and I'm sure Rika would have no regrets in taking me out as a date instead," Jim said good-humoredly and Ian laughed.

Rika playfully smacked Jim on the arm and turned to Ted, putting both her arms around his neck. "You could go one night without studying, Teddy. The world won't stop spinning if you don't."

Ted was kept from answering when she placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "I could study tomorrow…" he said, dazed.

"Oh please, get a room you two!" Ian huffed, pointedly glaring at them.

Rika snickered and Ted's ears went pink from embarrassment. "So, who's your date tonight, _Parrot_?" Rika asked Ian innocently. Jim laughed on hearing Rika's nickname for him.

"I told you, it's _Perrot_ ," Ian bit out, frowning up at Jim who was a couple of inches taller than him despite being a year younger.

"And stop laughing Kirk, or I'll tell everyone the one time that that super-hot Orion…" and the rest of the sentence was very much muffled for anyone to understand, Jim having clamped his hand to Ian's mouth.

"You say another damn word, and I swear to God…" Jim hissed. Ian wriggled out of Jim's grasp, "Oh, fine. I won't tell it out, happy? _Such a git…_ " he mumbled the last line to himself.

Jim snapped "I heard that!" and Rika laughed.

"Boys" she sighed and then brightened. "Well, that's my dorm. See y'all tonight," she said and hugged Ted, whispering something into his ear, to which he smiled in return. With a wave to the others, she walked away, Ted watching her every move.

"Ted, stop staring or your eyes are gonna fall out" Ian laughed.

"Wha-?" Ted looked around to see both his friends laughing at him. His face became flushed as he ground out "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing. At least I got a date tonight. Unlike you guys…"

Ian answered happily "I'll get the best girl in the club, thanks to my wingman here" he said glancing at Jim, the words turning threatening "who better try to zip in his charm and not steal her away from me."

"You wound me, Ian. I never do that to my buddy" Jim said, placing a hand over his heart in mock-hurt.

"You're one to talk. Actually, you don't even have to talk and the girls just flock to you. What's a guy gotta do to get a girl these days?" Ian wondered aloud.

Ted pointed out, "For starters, you could try to wake up with her after getting in bed with the girl."

"Huh, and get stuck with her forever. No thank you!"

Jim pointed two fingers at him with an expression that said _"Got it in one."_

Ted sighed. Jim slapped Ted good-naturedly, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"What's the point anyway? You do enough 'commitment' for the three of us. Rika is a lucky girl. Such a shame really," Jim said, eyes alight with humor.

"Hey!" Ted said in half-hearted anger. Jim laughed "Relax, I was joking. I won't make a move on my pals' girls, especially if they are totally serious about it."

"You better not," Ted warned not without humor.

oOo

Alpha Centauri A was a colony world. It was markedly different from others, in that, it was a domed colony. Living in a gas giant was not exactly viable, but advancements in science and technology had made it possible to terraform some portion of the planet and cover it up to regulate the atmospheric conditions to simulate that of Earth. The reason for going to all that trouble was because of the need to have a Federation colony nearby the Andorian homeworld for trade and other military purposes. With time it had become one of the largest and most important Federation colonies thriving because of the multiple trade agreements it had procured and also especially for its educational program in the University of Alpha Centauri. Second to only the Vulcan Science Academy, UAC was home to many of the leading minds of the Federation.

It was a no-brainer for Jim when it came to University selection, seeing that all four of the varsities he had applied for had selected him.

He hadn't called his mom, but had left a text message two days after he had ran away from home.

 _Got into UAC. Four-year program. Getting there tomorrow. I'm safe – Jim._

Then he had ditched his communicator and hopped straight into the shuttle heading to Alpha Centauri A after his three-day stint in Italy. Finding his pocket getting lighter by the day, he took up a work-from-home part-time job as an ethical hacker in a private security firm. They had been apprehensive of hiring a sixteen-year old, but then quickly changed their minds when he was able to point out nine different security flaws in their database coding, all by just glancing at it for ten minutes. He had also quickly made friends with his roommate, Ian Perrot, a British. Thankfully, he hadn't made a scene when Jim had said his name. Actually, it was kinda the opposite.

 _"_ _Hi, I'm Jim. Jim Kirk."_

 _"_ _Hey mate. The name's Ian Perrot."_

 _"_ _Parrot?" Jim asked, unable to prevent laughter bubbling from his lips._

 _"_ _No, it's_ Perrot _. P-E-R-R-O-T. You say it wrong one more time and you're done for," Ian growled._

 _Jim put up his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Chill, man. Hey, are you British?"_

 _"_ _Partly. My dad's Australian."_

 _"_ _That's cool."_

 _Ian replied nonchalantly, throwing his suitcase on the bed, "Not really. Left my mum when I was eight. Never seen him since."_

 _"_ _That's too bad."_

 _"_ _Not at all. He was never much of a dad anyway. What about your folks?"_

 _"_ _Well, I'm all American…"_

 _"_ _Naturally."_

 _"_ _Raised by my single mom."_

 _"_ _What the hell? You_ too? _Lemme guess. Divorced?"_

 _"_ _Dead."_

 _"_ Shit. _Sorry, mate," Ian said looking sincerely apologetic._

 _Jim brushed it off, "That's fine. It was a long time ago."_

 _"_ _Okay. We've established the fact that we're two guys with serious daddy issues," Ian said wryly._

 _Jim laughed._

 _Almost out of the blue, Ian asked "Wanna get a drink?"_

 _Jim already liked this guy. "Absolutely."_

 _"_ _Wait, are you of legal age?" Ian asked suddenly, looking up at him closely._

 _"_ _Does that really matter?" Jim asked nonchalantly._

 _"_ _I'm serious, Kirk. Security is strict in all the bars around the campus," Ian said with a hint of worry._

 _"_ _And I thought_ you _were the cool guy," Jim said sarcastically, rolling his eyes._

They had gotten into a bar that night, but one ten miles away from the campus and Jim got his first taste of alcohol.

The next couple of years sped by with the start of the first semester. He had selected a Mechatronics major with a minor in Computer Science. Though he was the star student of the OASS Computer Science stream, he wanted to dabble in various other subjects too and brush up on his previously acquired knowledge.

And so here he was, with a fresh life…again.

oOo

 _Star date: 2251.121_

The music thrummed in a steady beat as various people writhed in sync to the music, hands over the others' bodies. Jim and Ian were sitting apart on the bar counter, surveying their opportunities for the day, but not really speaking their minds. This had become the norm ever since Ian introduced Jim to the game of flirting almost a year ago.

"A tall glass of beer. On the rocks" came an insanely seductive feminine voice from the space between Jim and Ian. Both the boys snapped to her direction. She was an Orion, dressed up in a little red dress with gold party pumps that stood out strikingly against her silky green skin.

Ian leaned back and glanced at Jim, clearly fighting back a laugh, but not really winning. This was the second time he had laughed openly at Jim whenever they came within two feet of an Orion. Jim glared at him and then looked up at her. Before he could even open his mouth, Ian spoke up.

"Hey beautiful. How come you're alone tonight?" Ian drawled and Jim rolled his eyes. That was exactly what he had said to seduce another Orion girl and had ended in a complete disaster that Jim had made Ian swear never to talk about again.

The woman turned to look at Ian and Jim left the place, grabbing his fifth beer. He edged around the crowd, casually strolling, pretending to be uninterested while sipping his beer. A couple of girls turned to stare at him and Jim smirked. He had got his game for the night.

He wandered over to a table at the corner and sat down. Within minutes, a brunette came up to him. "Fancy a date, handsome?"

Jim gulped down the beer and stood up. He circled his hand around her waist, "Anything for a girl like you."

oOo

The delicious scent of her strawberry perfume assaulted his senses. Her supple skin rubbed off of him in all the right places. Her hands were in his hair as he gently kneaded her breast. _God, she was beautiful!_

He was inside of her and he relished the feeling of her hands running over him. He loved her so desperately. He brought his lips to hers, giving her a long kiss. She moaned inside him and he smiled.

Any moment now, she was going to come. Her breathing became labored as she moaned in passion and agony. He released inside of her as she called out "Jamie!"

Instantly, Jim snapped. She had never called out to him like that. She had never called him 'Jamie' for that matter.

The low light of the room maintained their privacy but a thin sliver of light from the window lighted up her face. It wasn't _her_. He had been thinking of _her_. It wasn't _Ashley_.

Suddenly, staying in so much proximity to the girl repulsed him. Quickly, he got up and out of her way. The girl looked at him "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing. I gotta go."

Jim put on his pants hurriedly and fumbled with the zip. The girl, he couldn't remember her name, was still lying on the bed looking up at him inquisitively.

"Is this what you always do? Leave a girl hanging?" she asked almost heatedly.

"Listen. I didn't mean to. I-I have to go. I have something important to do." Jim felt really sorry for her, but even sorrier for himself. Without another word, he left the building and out into the streets.

He pulled on his jacket tighter and pushed the zip up. His mind was still hazy from the alcohol.

He walked slowly with his hands in his pockets, deep in thought. He had been enjoying himself alright, but somehow his mind had perceived the girl to be Ashley. He had essentially hallucinated himself into thinking that he was sleeping with Ashley. This had never happened before with any of the girls he had slept so far except for the first time he had had sex with someone other than Ashley. He had brushed it off. He had made himself believe that his mind was still grieving her. He had stopped looking around for girls but even he had become tired of his enforced abstinence. He had gotten out more and slept with other girls and the problem had resolved over time.

 _Why was this happening now, two years after she had gone from his life?_

So deep in thought was he that he didn't realize his feet had carried him straight to his dorm room. It came as no surprise to find it empty. By any luck, Ian was probably hanging out with the Orion or some other pretty girl.

Suddenly, he felt more alone than ever, light years away from home surrounded by no one to keep him company. His first thought was to contact his mother, but then he quickly put it aside. He couldn't tell his mom about his sex life - she was sure to freak out. Instead, he called up Ted, and took off his jacket.

"You better have a good reason for waking me up at this time of the night" came the bleary voice of Ted. Clearly, he had been asleep.

"Are you free?" Jim asked tentatively.

"Dude, you just woke me up and you're asking if I'm free?!" he said incredulously. "Just get to the point."

"I-I just don't feel like being alone right now," Jim said and smacked himself. _What was he even saying?_

"Wow, is that really you? I thought you headed home with some chick?"

"Ditched her."

"That bad?"

"No, it wasn't her. It's just-I really wanna talk to someone now," Jim winced at how pleading his voice sounded and hoped Ted would overlook that.

There was a silence from the other side of the line for a moment. Jim didn't know what Ted had heard in his voice, but the next moment, he said quietly "I'm coming to your room" and disconnected the comm.

Jim sat down on the couch, hands between his knees. He let out a puff of breath and gazed at the window.

 _Was he really moving on from his life in Tarsus or was he just pretending?_

He couldn't tell for himself. Tarsus had been about being a new beginning for him. _And, look how that had ended._

Alpha Centauri was a third chance for him and he more than wanted this to turn out good. He just couldn't shake off the feeling that he was going to crash soon if he didn't open up about the doubts that were weighing in on him. Though Ian was his go-to buddy for fun and drinks, Ted was his pillar of support.

Jim couldn't help but think about his best friends in Tarsus, Tom Leighton and Eli Molson. He missed them sorely but because of an agreement with his mom during one of his rare text communication with her, it was impossible for him to visit them, let alone contact them. He could have tried to track them down, but he didn't trust himself to stop from visiting them if he found out their location.

All Jim could do now was remember their faces as they sat in that cave, which had become their home for the grueling thirty days. He could even remember the aroma of the wheat fields in Tarsus, how he had played in them with his cousin and friends. All of them dead or killed right in front of him.

The stench of human blood was overpowering as his breathing became labored. He could feel the warm gush of blood running over his body as he was beaten and used as a punching bag. He could feel his ribs crack under the pressure of a beefy man kicking him and tossing him around like a rag doll. His stomach churned unpleasantly at the memory and he found himself heaving to his side. He slumped onto the floor, hands clutching his throbbing head and his vision blurred while he could do nothing but gasp for breath. He felt a painfully tight constriction in his chest, like someone was squeezing the breath out of him. He grabbed hold of his chest trying to remove his T-shirt as he felt himself choking. Almost like in a dream, he heard the doorbell sound and he wished desperately for whoever was on the outside to barge in and help him already. He _had_ left the door unlocked.

 _Had he?_ A wave of doubt and helplessness washed over him. _What if he had left the door locked and nobody could help him out?_

Time seemed to fly as the tightness in his chest worsened and the buzzer sounded again. Jim cursed himself wordlessly for being unable to speak. He couldn't even take a breath of air in and his vision started to dim. He heard a knock and a "Jim? You in there?" before he finally succumbed to the darkness.

 **End of Part 1**

* * *

 **A/N: Happy New Year! I hope this chapter meets up to your expectations. I've planned this story to include some life-changing incidents that Jim faces in his life. Hopefully, as an explanation to how Jim Kirk came to be.**

 **Also, if anybody doesn't know, check out the 'MBTI personality types' on Google. There are 16 personality types represented by four letters. It gives a little bit of a backbone to any character that you want to develop. Take (Nu!)Jim Kirk for example. He's an ENFP, so it's very easy to characterize Jim and hopefully not sound OOC. You can even test** ** _your own_** **personality type. A very insightful thing. And if you want to know, I'm an ENTP.  
**

 **Thank you for the faves, follows and reviews. Reviews are love and also my salary. See y'all soon!**


	4. Alpha Centauri - Part 2

**_Alpha Centauri – Part 2_**

 _Star date: 2251.122_

* * *

The silence was broken only by the rhythmic beeping of monitors when Jim came to again. He was in the campus hospital and it looked like it was the middle of the night. A slight pricking on his hand alerted him to an IV drip inserted inside him. Jim rubbed his forehead as he tried to sit up.

"Oh, you're awake" Ted said, who was sitting beside him on a chair with a PADD in hand. The light from the PADD illuminated his face in an eerie way and his green eyes looked blue.

"What happened?" Jim asked.

"You don't remember anything?" Ted asked surprised.

"No. Last thing I know I was with a really pretty chick on her bed."

Ted sighed. Jim wondered if he knew something that he didn't. "What happened?" he asked again.

"You came to your dorm and you commed me. Remember?" Ted said.

Jim shook his head. He made a motion with his hand indicating him to continue.

"Well, you didn't sound so good and you asked me to come over."

"Did I say why?" Jim asked with a puzzled expression.

"You said you wanted to talk to me."

"Oh," Jim said simply.

"Yeah. When I came over, you weren't answering your door. I typed in your access code and when I came in you were sprawled on the floor unconscious near a puddle of your own puke."

Jim winced, "Yikes. Looks like I had too much to drink."

Ted's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "How many shots did you have last night?"

"A couple… or four? I don't really know."

"But, are you _sure_ you don't remember anything? You sounded pretty… _pleading_ when you commed me," Ted almost looked uncomfortable saying the word.

"I don't remember. I might have been sick, I don't really know."

Ted looked at him for a moment without comment, something akin to concern on his features. Then he said "Well, the doctor said your blood glucose was low and you were on too much alcohol for your body mass. Didn't you eat anything last night?"

Jim thought back to the previous night and shook his head, "Nope, I guess."

"Well, next time you think of drinking yourself to death, comm Ian. I don't have time for this shit," Ted said heatedly.

Jim looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry. This won't happen again. Where's Rika?"

Ted stared at him, "Asleep. On my bed. Without me. Thanks to you."

"Shit, man. I'm really sorry. That was stupid of me to drink five shots straight up. I've learnt my lesson and I'm sorry. Okay?" Jim asked apologetically.

Ted grunted but then sighed, "Its fine. I'm glad you called actually. I wouldn't have wanted you sick like that and on your own."

Jim broke into a grin, "Ha! I know you love me. I love you too, bro."

"And I hate you for that," Ted growled, but smirked a little.

"Go home. Rika's gonna have my ass handed to me for taking you away from her," Jim said laughing.

"But, the doctor said you'd have to stay till a bottle of glucose is down."

"And you think I can't handle that? I'll be fine. Seriously, go home Ted. And also," Jim added with some seriousness, "please don't tell this to Rika or Ian."

Ted looked at him for a moment and then conceded. "Trying to keep your badass image, huh? Fine. And you take care of yourself."

"Thanks, Ted," Jim said smiling.

"Any time" Ted grinned and then scowled at him. "Not literally."

Jim laughed. "Gotcha!" he said pointing his fingers at him that looked like it meant 'You're the man!'

As soon as Ted left, Jim's smile turned to a frown. He had lied through his teeth to Ted to conceal the fact that he had just had a panic attack. He had had only one before and that was when he was straight out of Tarsus and on the Medbay of the Newton. He wouldn't have known if the nurses hadn't told him so when he had awakened later. He had never had a panic attack after that but he did have nightmares. He couldn't understand why he would get one when he was on the process of forgetting every damned memory of what had happened on that planet.

 _And why the fuck had he felt it would be okay if he could talk about it to Ted when he had gotten to his dorm?_ Jim's life wouldn't be the same if his friends or anybody else found out that Jim was on Tarsus. It had definitely been the alcohol acting up on him. Or so, he convinced himself. He would not slip up again.

oOo

 _Star date: 2251.122_

After another hour Jim had left to his dorm with a hypo and some advice by the resident doctor of the campus clinic ringing in his years.

He found his dorm still empty but he didn't care. He took off his clothes and went straight to bed. After a very short time or so it seemed, his alarm sounded and he woke up to a mild headache. He injected the hypo on himself. One of the nurses had taught him how to do that before leaving the clinic. He winced at the sting and headed for a warm shower.

Just then, he noticed his roommate sleeping soundly on his own bed. No doubt, the bastard had had a fun night. He hadn't even woken up to the alarm.

Jim found a sadistic pleasure in blaring loud rock music throughout the room as he stepped inside the bathroom. Curses were yelled from the other side, but Jim didn't care as he turned on the shower, smiling.

oOo

Jim had sent three text messages to his mom since he had come to Alpha Centauri, one congratulating her on her promotion. He couldn't help but feel guilty again for staying in her way all these years. _A few years without me and look at her. Promotion after promotion._

She had asked for him to call her since he had blocked all video and audio calls from her. But Jim had refused saying he didn't have the time. And he really meant that.

Months had passed by after Jim's panic attack incident like a breeze. His third-year in UAC was progressing with him studying, sleeping, drinking, partying, and more partying (if you asked a certain Ian Perrot).

Jim was gaining much praise from his professors, from those who turned a blind eye to his cocky attitude anyway. He had consistently stayed in the top two positions in the university and had aced all his exams so far. They didn't understand how he was doing it with him sleeping around or sometimes even not showing up in class.

They had looked through his record and noted that he had been a bright student since when he was five. His secondary schooling records were distinctly absent but rather marked _'Home-schooled.'_ They were amazed but his father was George Kirk and it was no secret that Lt. Cmdr. Winona Kirk was a brilliant scientist. They let him go as easy as that simply because of him being a hero's son. Jim didn't know if he was relieved they bought the lie or angry that they attributed his strengths yet again to his father.

His part-time job as an ethical hacker too was doing much wonders to his practical knowledge. While Ian was inherently rich and Ted worked part-time in stores, Jim had a very engaging and mind-bending job. All that he learnt at college, he was able to put to practice and his skills were only improving. A handsome amount of credits found its way into his account each month which was more than enough to meet his expenses.

Ian was jealous of his hacking abilities but he was a Mechatronics major and had no clue about how to do even a basic hack. He was amazed that Jim knew so much about it having only a minor in Computers. Nobody knew he already had his Ethical Hacker's License from his time in OASS or about the major which he had already finished back in Tarsus. He'd just had to renew the License with his real name and he was having a professional job in hand. It was going to do him much good in the months to come.

oOo

The weather today was mildly windy, much better than the rain last month. People wondered why it was necessary to recreate all the seasons when you had a weather-controllable dome. They could have easily made it a warm summer day. But, no. The officials felt it wouldn't be an all-round experience if you didn't follow the natural seasons.

Jim walked across the courtyard and sat next to his favorite people. Ted was intently studying with, his nose buried under his PADD and Rika was sprawled on the ground murmuring inaudibly. Ian had his back to the large tree lazily swiping pages in his PADD.

"What are you guys doing this holiday break?" Jim asked as he sat down on the green grass.

Rika looked up, "My parents asked me to come over. It's been almost a year since I last saw them."

Ted replied not taking his eyes off his PADD, "I'll just be staying here. I have to work on my thesis."

"What about you, Ian?" Jim asked turning to him.

Ian's face broke into a wide smile, "I'm planning to head to Risa. Whaddaya say?"

"Risa!" Rika exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Ted asked stunned.

Jim was too excited. He wasn't going back to Earth for the holidays. That's for sure. Why not join his friend for a vacation, the fact that it was pleasure planet notwithstanding? "That's awesome. Count me in!"

"That's my boy!" Ian cheered. "Come on Ted, join us too," he pleaded.

Jim liked the idea of the three of them hanging out together, "Yeah. It'll be fun."

Ted however looked unsure, "I dunno…"

Ian whined "Come on, it's just for three days. You'll have plenty of time later to catch up on your boring thesis."

"Well…"

Jim wondered if he was having second thoughts because of Rika. "Rika, you have no objections to Ted coming with us do you?"

"Who am I to say no?" she said nonchalantly. Then she looked at Ted with fire in her eyes "As long as you promise me you won't go hook-up with some random girl. Otherwise, you'll have hell to pay."

"I won't," Ted replied meekly, but his eyes were smiling.

"So that's a yes?" Ian asked hopefully.

Ted and Jim cheered, "Yeah!"

Ian jumped up from his spot, excitement coursing through his veins, "Sweet. Lemme book us a hotel. Oh my God, this is going to be awesome. I can already feel it!"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry for the delay and the short chapter. But my muse ran out on me. It's still in hiding I guess. Reviews will probably bring them out of the dark cupboards.**

 **Thanks to Samantha Kirk for her lovely reviews. Virtual cookies from me! xoxo**

 **Cheers,**

 **Afroz.**


	5. Risa - Part 1

**_Risa – Part 1_**

 _Star date: 2251.134_

* * *

"Did you see my sock?" Ted asked, taking up his jacket from the chair.

"Huh. What color?" Ian looked up hazily, eyes having been glued to his comm unit reading messages.

"The blue ones."

"Dude, you're always wearing blue. Just put something on. Nobody cares about your socks!"

Ted huffed and Jim rolled his eyes. Ted took more time dressing up than any girl he had ever known.

The three boys were heading to the IDIC Club just south of their hotel. True to their word, the club was packed with species from all over the quadrant. Their colors alone were enough to serve as decoration for the room. Various people were chatting up with others or dancing to the beat. Ted looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Guys, I don't think coming along was a great idea…"

"Don't be an idiot! This place is awesome," Jim exclaimed.

"Yeah, if you want to get laid for the night," Ted bit back with a straight face.

"Exactly!" Jim cheered, but noticing Ted's worry amended "But… not tonight. Tonight is for the three of us to have a good time."

"What? _No girls?_ But this is Risa! We can't afford to waste a day!" Ian whined.

"You can have fun tomorrow, Ian. When Ted and I head to the Casino, the day is all yours," Jim consoled. Ted smiled a bit at the prospect.

Ian looked morose, but quickly brightened when a lovely brunette served free beer. He chugged it down and slammed the mug on the counter. "It's party time!"

oOo

 _Star date: 2251.135_

It was 2200 hours and Jim was heading to the club after a fun day gambling in the casino. After quickly learning the ropes, Ted and Jim had become a great team and had made decent profits out of their pocket money. Jim had invited Ted to come along to the club but Ted had said that he was going to have a video call with Rika.

Jim sat in the counter sipping his shot of Jack. It wasn't long before a young girl had chatted up with him and Jim was heading back to his room, heatedly kissing the girl as they tumbled inside.

oOo

The comm beeped furiously next to his ear and Jim blearily woke up to the noise. He turned to his side and saw a feminine silhouette nestled under his sheets. Jim smirked thinking of the wild night he had had. The beeping became more insistent and Jim picked it up.

Ian's hurried voice flooded his room, "Rika met with an accident and she's in a hospital! The doctors said her condition is unstable at the moment."

Instantly, Jim shot up from his bed talking into his comm, "I'm on my way."

Hurriedly pulling on his jeans, Jim haphazardly tossed all his essential belongings into his bag and hurried out of his room, not sparing a second glance at the girl inside.

Ted's room was at the end of the corridor and Jim ran as quickly as he could without skidding on the floor. He knocked twice and the door was open in an instant, Ian standing opposite to him.

His features were knit with worry and Jim felt his heart rate quicken. "What happened to Rika?"

"Shuttle accident," Ian said simply, but his voice hitched.

Before Jim could even step inside, he was pushed aside by Ted who was running out of the room, his bag slung on his shoulder.

Jim and Ian ran after him, "Ted! Wait!"

Ted showed no sign of stopping, when Jim caught up to him, "Ted, listen…"

Ted squirmed, trying to brush aside Jim's hand, but Ian too held on to him. "Just leave me alone you bastard!"

"Ted. Wait!" Jim yelled, trying to get through to him.

Ted stopped trying to wriggle out of his grasp and stared at the floor. Jim tried to talk to him again, "What happened?"

Tears sprung in Ted's eyes as he talked. "Rika was travelling with her parents when it happened. Both of them died instantly and Rika's condition is serious."

Jim felt a blow to his stomach as he felt it clench painfully. _Why was this happening?_ God, Rika was so funny and charming and she was his friend, dammit! It hurt to think she was orphaned now and she was not even eighteen.

Jim nodded slowly and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay." His voice grew stronger as he repeated "Okay. Let's get on the next shuttle outta here."

Turning to Ian, Jim mumbled inaudible to Ted "Can you catch up with us in the shuttleport?"

Ian shook his head. "I've got to cancel our hotel reservations and also pack the rest of our belongings. It doesn't matter anyway, 'cause I don't think you can get a shuttle now even if you tried. I'll join you by morning."

Jim clapped him on the shoulder once and grabbed Ted by the arm "Well, come on!"

oOo

"I'm sorry, sir. All shuttles for the night have departed. There's one only at nine tomorrow morning."

"But that's six hours from now!" Ted exploded.

"Again, I'm sorry I can't be of any help," the woman behind the counter said politely, with an irritating smile that seemed to be plastered on her face.

Ted spluttered when Jim spoke up, "Isn't there any other shuttle that at least has a drop-off point on Earth?"

The woman typed something into her console and looked up, "The next shuttle that passes by Earth is at six in the morning. It'll take about seven hours to get there, sir."

Jim sighed audibly, "We'll take it."

Ted looked up, dejection in his eyes. Jim shook his head, "I'm sorry."

Ted looked at Jim with something akin to anger flashing across his eyes, but Jim thought he might be imagining things and brushed it aside. Both of them headed to the waiting area and slumped on the chair.

Jim checked his chrono. It was 0330 hours. He had a headache coming on, interrupted sleep and alcohol not agreeing with him. He remained silent when Ted spoke up, voice almost inaudible, "The doctors said there's an eighty percent chance that Rika won't make it."

Jim remained stonily silent as waves of sadness rode through him. Ted continued and though Jim didn't want to hear any further, he thought it would do some good for Ted if he could talk, "She might not be able to use her left hand forever, though they're not giving up on that soon."

After a moment, Ted asked seemingly to himself or the universe, Jim didn't know. "Why? Why was it Rika that day? How will I tell her that her parents are…are dead? Her brother works in a space station that's light years away. She's got nobody else as her family…"

Jim put an arm on Ted as tears flowed freely from Ted's eyes. Ted hastily wiped them, sniffing.

"It's gonna be okay, Ted. I promise," he said solemnly, unable to find words that could comfort him. He wasn't sure anything he said would comfort Ted anyway.

Ted started shaking his head before he even completed his sentence. "No, no…It's _not_ gonna be okay. She'll have to discontinue her studies and be put in rehabilitation for about a year. Oh, god…"

Jim squeezed his shoulder, "Ted, stop this. Stop over-thinking. It's not gonna lead to that. Rika's going to be fine. I just know it." Jim hated giving empty reassurances, but he couldn't think negatively now. Ted was negative enough for both of them.

Ted remained silent. Jim looked around him. The shuttleport was eerily silent with an occasional person running hurriedly to catch a shuttle. Jim got up and walked over to a food-synthesizer and conjured up two mugs of steaming coffee. His head ache was getting worse by the minute.

Jim stuck the coffee in front of Ted who wordlessly took it from him and held on to it, wrapping both his hands around the warm ceramic, not bringing it to his lips. Jim sipped the coffee and sat watching idly at a random billboard.

His eyes wandered over to the woman at the desk and simultaneously she locked eyes with him. She gestured him to discreetly come over and she had a serious expression on her face, so unlike the plastic smile from earlier. Jim threw back the entire cup of coffee, scalding his throat and went over to her.

As soon as he neared the desk she spoke in hushed tones, "Listen, I can tell you have some sort of emergency. I know a private shuttle that takes off to Earth in half an hour. Take that and you can reach San Francisco in three hours."

Jim wondered why she hadn't told anything earlier, but was thankful anyway. "That's perfect!"

She seemed somewhat hesitant as she continued, "Yes. But, you see, the owner of the shuttle is a bit of an… outlaw. He's had many run-ins and close calls with all sorts of governing bodies. But he might be able to offer a couple of seats if you can pay him handsomely."

 _Of course_ , Jim mentally rolled his eyes.

"And how much is that?" Jim asked warily.

"About 900 credits for one," she finished somewhat lamely.

 _900 credits!_ A normal shuttle fare cost anywhere between 200-500 credits. That kind of money was not something you had on you if you were a college-goer.

Jim turned to look at Ted, who was staring out into the distance with a blank face. His heart ached for him and so Jim agreed.

"Okay."

Even the woman seemed slightly surprised but she nodded. What she didn't know was that Jim was having a decent sum of money in his account that could put even this woman to shame. He had his part-time job to thank for that.

She contacted somebody, letting them know of Jim and Ted's arrival to the aforementioned shuttle. She also handed him a folded slip of real paper. "Here's the address. Ask around for Munroe. People know him well."

Jim nodded his thanks and walked away before coming back. "What's your name again?"

She hesitated, "Just tell my name's Clover. That's how they know me there."

Jim nodded and walked up to Ted. "Ted, we've got a shuttle in half an hour."

Ted's eyes shot up to meet Jim's in disbelief. "What?! How?"

"Private shuttle. Come on. There's only twenty-five minutes left," Jim added checking his chrono.

Ted quickly got up and the pair left the shuttleport in a hovercab. Jim made sure to leave a message to Ted about the change of plans. They would meet up back on Earth.

They reached the place mentioned in the paper in fifteen minutes. It was an old musty bar with fading paint and blinking neon lights. A couple of women headed inside before them and they followed.

Slow jazz music played in the background and about twenty people sat around with varying degrees of inebriety. A couple of scantily clad girls were dancing erotically with the men slurring dirty talk at them. The bartender was polishing the counter with a ragged cloth that seemed to make the counter even dirtier. A lone person sat at the counter sipping what looked suspiciously like Romulan Ale.

Jim and Ted walked up to the bartender and he looked up, "Fancy a drink, boys?"

Jim shook his head, "No, thanks. I wanted to ask if you know somebody of the name Munroe? Of the shuttle _Venesius Two_?" Jim added peeking at the piece of paper.

The bartender stared at him as if he'd grown two heads, but did not reply.

Ted was impatient, "Well…?"

The lone man at the counter looked up from his drink at them. His eyes were red-rimmed, no doubt because of too much alcohol and his teeth were yellowed as he spoke, "Whaddaya know about 'im? Who sent you here?"

"Who are you?" Jim asked unwilling to divulge too much information.

The man answered mysteriously, "Let's just say I know a Munroe and it might be the one you're looking for."

Jim nodded as he tested the waters, "Clover sent me."

The man's eyes alighted with recognition and he jumped up from the barstool. "You wanted to meet Munroe? You've come to the right guy. I'm Barty, third-officer of the _Venesius Two_."

Jim sighed mentally, relieved. He hadn't expected to find a positive lead right away. "Yes, that's the shuttle I need to get on," Jim checked his chrono and added, "in about seven minutes."

Barty, jumped. " _Shit!_ Is it that time already? Noran is gonna kill me. Come on, we haven't got time to lose!"

Saying so, he sprinted to the door yelling, "Put it on my card, Matt!" to the bartender.

Jim and Ted hurried along outside. Barty had already gotten a cab and was getting inside yelling at them to get their asses moving. They quickly got inside and the cab drove off.

After a short, five-minute drive, the cab rounded a corner and drove up to a barren land that looked like an abandoned private shuttleport. A single shuttle rested on the ground, with the words _Venesius Two_ written in chipped yellow paint. A tall, mountain of a man stood outside the stairs leading up to the shuttle, hands folded behind his back.

Barty visibly shivered as he walked up to the man, Jim and Ted trailing behind silently. Ted glanced at Jim wondering if Jim had lost his mind to arrange to travel in _this_ shuttle. Then, he wondered if _he_ had lost his mind for agreeing to his crazy idea.

A booming voice erupted from the man's mouth, "You better have an excellent explanation, or else…"

Barty replied meekly, "I was on my way, but then these boys were asking around for Munroe…"

The man's hitherto curious glances turned to complete attention on Jim and Ted. "And who are you boys?" he drawled.

Jim saw Ted shrink a little from the corner of his eyes. Jim drew himself up to his full height to indicate that he wasn't afraid. The man's eyes glinted as he appraised Jim.

"We need a ride on your shuttle. I'm sure Clover would have informed earlier…"

The man paused for a moment before nodding, "Yes, she did. Get inside, brats!"

Jim didn't flinch but wondered what on earth he had been expecting from the man anyway. Jim nodded to Ted and they got on to the shuttle, the two men trailing behind them.

The shuttle was spacious, not your average thirty-seater. It had room for about fifty and also wider legroom. But only, twenty or so of the seats were occupied. Jim and Ted walked uncertainly when Barty ushered them along and showed them their seats. They deposited their bags and sat down heavily on their seats, the weariness of the night settling in.

The pilot announced the departure and the shuttle was off.

 ** _End of Part 1..._**

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 **A/N: I hope I made up for the long wait with a long chapter. It's exactly midnight so any errors are mine. Thank you for the faves, follows and special thanks to cyiusblack for your comment.**

Please review, they let me know I'm doing a satisfactory job. Part 2 will be out soon, hopefully.


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